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[center][h2]Wakagami, Greater Akitsukuni Empire[/h2][/center]

Gusts of cold air blew throughout the city, as if the world wanted to emphasize that it was winter for the northern hemisphere. The cherry trees which lined the streets lay dormant, performing their duty of decorating the city just fine... if quite a bit less poetically than had been intended. Indeed, the poets of Akitsukuni would likely be completely at a loss when it came to new material. Not that their poems weren't any good, but one often had to wonder just how many of them [i]weren't[/i] about the cherry trees blossoming. There we so many of them that the Emperor himself was said to regret making the cherry blossom the national symbol.

In the middle of the city without blossoms, life went on just as it always did. Factory workers marched in lines to their workplaces, soot-covered children carrying chimney brushes made their way from one house to the next, and puffs of smoke arose from trains as they crisscrossed the nation in their rush to deliver the products made in the factories the day before. In the midst of the onslaught of modern life that the nation had imported from Edoniras, then given a new paint job, a remnant of what Akitsukuni once was shouted out into a silent courtyard far from the black skies the factories created.

The shout came in the form of the clashing sound of wood against wood, originating in the courtyard's garden which had been turned into an impromptu battleground by two women. Both were wearing Army uniforms, which were essentially stolen Lancian uniforms which used a light shade of green instead of grey or black and replaced the flag with their own. 

Traditionally, they would never use such uniforms in order to allow for better mobility on the battlefield. However, on the modern battlefield, everyone wore their country's uniform. If they did not, then every battle would be little more than a brawl. Most of the time combat training for women still didn't involve the uniforms. Most of the time, however, combat training for women didn't impart skills that were actually meant to be used on the battlefield.

A [i]clack[/i] sounded as their weapons were struck against each other, prompting the shorter of the two to jump backwards to avoid the strike at her torso that came immediately afterward. Predicting what would come next, she raised her pole-like naginata directly forward as the other woman came rushing at her. Instead of stopping, the other woman used her own weapon-a wooden reproduction of a Great Han sword-to sweep the naginata away from her. Just as she brought her sword down for a final blow to the head, however, the shorter of the two stepped to the side and used the longer naginata to throw the sword towards the ground. The woman's balance interrupted, the shorter one was able to sweep her naginata at her knees and knock her over. The final blow was a tap on the downed woman's back, signaling her "death" at the hands of her pupil.

"Impressive display, Your Imperial Highness." Said the taller of the two, her wise-sounding voice fitting perfectly with the deep grooves of age that crisscrossed her face. "I'm glad to see you took my suggestion to heart. It will do you good if you ever find yourself facing an enemy soldier armed with a sword, but you must stay mindful of your own stance. Had there been someone else to interfere during that sidestep, you could have been knocked to the ground."

"Well, I could have also been shot in the head." Said the princess, resting her naginata's blade on the ground. "Thank you for all you have done, I doubt one could ask for a better teacher."

"That is true. There is no way to train someone to be invincible, not even someone as quick thinking as you. Even I cannot come close to that."

The princess opened her mouth to respond, but the conversation was interrupted by the voice of an old man.

"Ah, good to see that you're practicing in military dress. How has the training gone so far, Miss Fujioka?"

"The Imperial Princess has done well today, Your Imperial Majesty. She is improving her skilled with a naginata, and her aikido is quite good as well. Still, I would say that she is better with a rifle than anything else. I'd suggest that you take her hunting at some point. It isn't becoming of a lady, but the head of state should be able to fight in any war we find ourselves in. Even if the head of state is a woman."

"That would be why I am here, actually. Part of it, at least. Admiral Yamamori has been petitioning the Diet for quite some time, requesting an expedition to that new continent to the east. I was considering bringing Hanako along."

The woman-Miss Fujioka-looked absolutely horrified by the comment. She was more than willing to follow the orders of her Emperor, but she had to at least draw a dotted line as a suggestion when it came to bringing a girl along into savage-filled lands far from the only home she had ever known. 

"With all the respect in my heart, Your Imperial Majesty, an expedition is no place for a princess. There is no need to take her Imperial Highness to uncharted lands when you could simply take her hunting on the outskirts of the city."

"It would do her good to be involved in a military operation. She could become more accustomed to military discipline and protocol. If she is to be Empress, then the military is something she must know how to control, lest it think to turn against her. It would be better to bring her along on a campaign as a camp assistant, but we cannot throw away lives for the sake of her training."

"The expedition is better than a campaign!" She exclaimed, quickly bowing in a subtle apology and lowering her voice after realizing it had been raised. "Apologies, I meant no disrespect."

"There was none taken. It was not common for you to speak with your betters until now, I cannot rightfully punish a person for something they have no control over. Please, go on."

"Thank you, Your Imperial Majesty." If there was one good thing about Emperor Kichirou, it was his kindness. It was not often that Akitsukuni found itself under the rule of a man who would forgive a transgression, and there was likely not a single man in the Diet whom had not taken advantage of that quality at least once. His daughter often wondered whether or not he knew his personality was being exploited. "As I was saying before that unfortunate interjection, neither a campaign nor an expedition is any place for a lady. Especially not the Imperial Princess."

"Women have been taken along on military campaigns for centuries, one was even a Daimyo for quite some time. Her husband was killed in battle, and she led the clan's army for many years before marrying."

"I was unaware. Still, that was well before the restoration of your power, and the power we have now makes such practices obsolete. In the modern age, women no longer need to know how to protect themselves. My skills are but a remnant of the age before we harnessed the power of coal."

Her words were said with great conviction, but beneath then, there was a slight hint of sorrow. It wasn't an aggressive sorrow, quite the opposite, in fact. The words conveyed nothing but reluctant submission. Were a clipper ship to speak of the ironclads and battleships that had replaced it, it would do so in much the same way.

"The reins with which we harnessed coal were made in Edoniras, Miss Fujioka. To surrender our old way of life to the power of technology is to surrender our nation to those of the west. Artists do not need to paint, poets do not need to write. But they do, because that is their way. When an artist paints, it does not matter whether or not their brush is from Akitsukuni or Lancia, for their mind is still theirs. When the Lancian brush is finer, however, one should seek to use that advantage... I suppose we must fight the urge to paint like a Lancian, yet at the same time use their brush."

"I understand, Your Imperial Majesty. Though it was always your decision, no man nor woman in the Empire has any right to give you an order."

[i]Tell that to the Imperial Diet.[/i] Thought Hanako, whom was trying to hold her arms as close to her body as possible without messing up her posture. The uniform was designed for sweltering summer heat in the southernmost parts of the Empire, and winter had struck hard and without warning that year. The Army itself hadn't managed to get all of its men in winter dress yet, and the princess and her tutor weren't high on the list.

"That is true, but the Emperor is not all-knowing. Remember that. It shall do our nation well in the future."

A tiny spark of hope flew throughout Fujioka's synapses, before finally being stomped out by the Emperor's final comment.

"That does not mean I have been persuaded otherwise." He said. "The fleet shall be leaving for the Eastern Continent with us two in tow the day after tomorrow. Five airships. One carrier, a couple heavy dirigibles, and two escorts."

"You are going as well? Is that truly wise, to bring the entire royal family on an expedition?"

"There are no diseases there that we do not already have defenses against, thanks to the Edonirans. I doubt the bow-toting natives could do anything to the best vessels our Empire has to offer, anyways."

[i]And the Edonirans have colonies there.[/i] Thought Hanako, finishing the sentence that had no intention of continuing. She wouldn't dare say such a thing out loud, but that didn't stop her from saying it in her head. [i]As if this isn't an attempt to warm up relations with them. If we establish colonies there, then we look more important. If the Emperor and Imperial Princess themselves come along as diplomats, then we look more respectful. They wouldn't dare have us speak with any other than their own nobles and royals, and if we speak with their nobles and royals, we get allies. The more allies we have... the easier it will be to put down the rebellion.[/i]

Her well-practiced neutral expression just underneath her long, straight bangs twisted itself in a frown for a split second as she thought about the situation. She was perhaps the most well-versed princess-or woman, for that matter-in Akitsukuni history when it came to politics. Even the Emperor knew that she would have to immediately face an attempted coup and countless assassins hired by people she would have to drink with at parties. Of course, every sip would in itself be an assassination attempt. Every cup would be full of poison and every security guard would have a split allegiance. All the while, half the military would be out to get her in order to restore a "True Emperor". Which, of course, would [i]just so happen[/i] to be whatever General saw the chance first.

So it was probably a good thing she was going to be taught how to handle moving targets.